Rain Main
Rain Main is an award winning 1988 film following the newly discovered relationship between Charlie Babbitt and his autistic brother Raymond. Charlie learns that his estranged father died, thus goes to the funeral and learns that the $3 million estate has been left to Raymond, the brother he did not know he had. When Charlie picks up Raymond at the group home he resides in, Raymond's doctor Dr. Bruner spends a few minutes explaining the nature of the ASD diagnosis. Raymond’s character is played by neurotypical actor Dustin Hoffman who mimics the classic autistic stereotypes. Raymond’s ASD tendencies include restricted repetitive behaviors and interests as illustrated by strict adherence to schedule, deficits in social communication and interaction, the extreme ability to memorize phone books and historic dates, and savant-like mathematical capabilities. Raymond also has an extraordinary capability in card counting, which Charlie exploits in order to win money gambling on their road trip in Las Vegas.
This film was one of the first types of media to tell the story of an autistic character, bringing popular media awareness to ASD for one of the first times in history. This is important to keep in mind, since director Barry Levinson could not do everything right. Raymond and Charlie’s relationship revolves around Raymond’s ASD in a way that invites an audience to watch the first film that showcases a main character with ASD. Dustin Hoffman does not have ASD, but plays into the stereotypes so perfectly. While Hoffman was praised for his acting, the movie was blamed for created a public misconception that a large percentage of individuals with ASD are also savants. While an actor’s job is to pretend and play a role, where do we draw a line between who gets to make these representations? If we are going to allow great actors to pick up a disability as a character trait, the audience needs to be informed. If this award winning film that gained so much traction and fame is the first piece of media that people see, the audience should learn about ASD as Charlie learns about his brother’s diagnosis as well. It needs to be explicitly stated that Raymond’s character is just one representation of ASD and that the actor is neurotypical himself. In addition, we should know which diagnostic criteria Raymond would have in order to facilitate our knowledge and really understand the basis of his autism. |
The Middle
The Middle, a sitcom about a lower middle class family, is a comedy that follows Mike and Frankie Heck as they navigate life with three kids, Brick, Sue, and Axl. Brick showcases many of the diagnostic criteria for ASD, yet for nine seasons the show itself never explicitly mentions that Brick harbors ASD. Brick specifically exhibits echolalia, savant skills, social skill deficits, and idiosyncratic behaviors. He repeats the last three words of every sentence, has a perfect photographic memory that extends to his ability to recite exact page numbers and lines from long instruction manuals, and carries ketchup packets for fun. Brick also demonstrates narrow interests as he is obsessed with fonts, reads and re-reads every book in the house, and calls his backpack his best friend. In many reviews on The Middle, it is characterized as a “laugh out loud” show where many of its funniest moments are related to Brick’s quirky tendencies. These are behaviors where viewers may have difficulty recognizing whether to “laugh at” Brick or “laugh with” Brick. If someone is not educated enough about ASD, one would laugh and think carrying ketchup packets is bizarre without realizing that Brick believes the ketchup packets keep him safe.
On another note, in real life, Atticus Shaffer who plays Brick has osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic bone disorder that prevents the body from building strong bones. Brick has a completely different physical disorder, yet plays a child with ASD characteristics. During interviews, Atticus Shaffer says he wants to connect to kids who feel differently. However, The Middle is not tailored to a young audience. It is tailored to families, adults, and teenagers as it includes witty, older and sometimes inappropriate content for a younger audience. Unfortunately, Brick goes on for all nine seasons without a diagnosis yet there are constant references to unusual habits and mannerisms. Since this show gained so much traction and popularity, it could have provided so many families with resources and spread awareness about ASD. There are many times within the first season where Mike and Sue realize that Brick is different, but do not have the economic means to provide proper testing and therapy. Brick does not have a clear autistic label because his family cannot afford it, representing real issues within the ASD community regarding accessibility and affordable treatment. |
Atypical
Atypical is a newer TV show about Sam, a teenager with ASD navigating love and relationships and overbearing parents in high school. Sam’s diagnostic criteria includes trouble understanding emotions and key parts of communication, rigid routines and scheduling, and fixation with certain objects or ideas. Specifically, Sam asks people what they are feeling, doesn’t comprehend jokes and sarcasm, takes everything literally, and is obsessed with penguins and Antarctica.
At many points, Sam takes phrases like “Practice makes perfect” seriously and said, “Are you being sarcastic?” when a girl told him she liked his shirt. Sam is portrayed by neurotypical actor Keir Gilchrist, a common theme among media portrayals of autistic characters. Atypical is a media example that took feedback from the ASD community and made the show better. The first season of Atypical was criticized for inaccuracies in representing ASD, yet brought in autistic writers and actors to better represent the ASD community. Sam is the main character in this show and demonstrates countless stereotypical autistic criteria; reviews even stating that Sam is depicted as more of a "checklist" than as a person. Atypical does some things right, which is why there are so many mixed reviews on this sitcom. Atypical does not overrepresent savant syndrome and Sam is in a romantic relationship, which audiences are not exposed to in many ASD representations. Usually, the individual with ASD struggles to find a partner due to issues communicating. One of the major issues with Atypical is that the audience is encouraged to laugh at him rather than with him, creating pauses when Sam does something odd, almost inviting viewers to laugh. The show frames Sam in a way that acting abnormally is hilarious. Reviews on how the ASD community felt about Atypical were not great, as seen in In reality, an individual with ASD does not have every symptom nor check every box. Sam takes everything literally, does not have a filter when saying anything that comes to mind, has an infatuation with penguins, and struggles with all kinds of social communication. He excels in school and has a job at a technology store, promoting the idea that he is higher functioning than others.This is extremely unrealistic, and leads viewers to believe that ASD always looks like this: a quirky male has an odd obsession with a math or science related topic, has trouble making friends, takes everything literally, and acts socially awkward. Atypical creators tried to justify their portrayal of autism by hiring one person with ASD for the supporting cast, one for the writing team, and one for the social media team, but failed to accurately consider perspectives from the ASD community. Actors with ASD did audition for the role, but were dismissed for “better actors”. Who is better to play a character with ASD than a person who actually has ASD? |